


The Sum of Small Efforts

by Straya



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Puppy Love, F/M, Fluff, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28980642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Straya/pseuds/Straya
Summary: As a young wind seraph, Dezel is desperate for the only other kid in the Windriders guild to be able to see and interact with him. Rose's resonance, however, has been blocked by an unknown traumatizing event. So Dezel hatches a plan to help her realize he exists...which unfortunately backfires.Can he set things right and help Rose lift the block on her resonance at the same time?
Relationships: Dezel/Rose (Tales of Zestiria)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	The Sum of Small Efforts

**Author's Note:**

> So this was actually meant to be a part of the DezeRose ficlet collection, except that when I got into writing it, the story got away from me. Before I knew what happened, said story was over five thousand words long – too long to really count for the mini fic collection. I don't really count that as bad thing, however, since it's more content I can provide that's longer and hopefully more satisfying than a fic less than half the length.
> 
> And if you're waiting on more chapters from one or more of my longer fics, don't worry, I haven't given up on those. I just haven't had the focus to put the work in on them as of late. Hopefully, that will change sooner than later but in the meantime, I'm doing my best to post new, shorter works when possible! Enjoy!

A scream cut through the usual evening ambient noise of the campsite, causing most of the Windriders to pause mid-chore and glance up in alarm. From where he hid behind one of the wagons, Dezel cringed at the high-pitched sound of distress, knowing there was no way whatsoever that this wouldn't be blamed on him. At least, by those who even knew he was present at all. 

The young wind seraph watched through wide green eyes as Brad rushed to his personal tent, throwing aside the flap to find his adopted daughter inside, crying piteously. Rose's small form trembled as she sat alongside her bedroll, pointing at something on her pillow. Dezel ducked further behind the wagon wheel, knowing what was likely to come next. He could hear Brad speaking with Rose, attempting to both console her and assure her that the enormous beetle squatting on her bedding was not going to harm her in any way. After all, it had probably just crawled or flown in from outside the tent and landed there, and he would take it away so she could have some food and go to sleep later. She did need to buck up, though, and get used to dealing with insects, Brad said. They were just a part of life, especially on the road.

It was at that point that Dezel decided to break for the treeline so he could hide in the brush for a while but hardly had he turned when he found himself face to face with his own guardian. Or rather, said guardian's green and white shirt, as Dezel was just a scrawny kid who only had a couple inches and about as many years on Rose. Ah, if only his wind reading ability were better developed, he might have “seen” this coming.

“Another insect in Rose's belongings, Dezel?” Lafarga frowned down at him with one raised eyebrow. “I thought we talked about this.”

“You just said not to put them in her clothes pockets or boots! It was just sitting on her bedroll, is all!” It wasn't the best argument, Dezel knew, but that particular bug was so very cool. Stag beetles were one of the best kind! Surely, despite Rose's dislike of most insects, she would be able to appreciate that one? ...except clearly not. Folding his arms across his chest, the younger seraph grit his teeth at Lafarga in what could only be called a scowling pout of sorts. “And if I can't leave bugs for her, what am I supposed to leave?”

Lafarga sighed and adjusted his hat, fixing his ward with a sympathetic look, one that Dezel didn't much care for. He may have been a lonely kid who just wanted someone else roughly his age to run around in the fields and forests with, but he wasn't keen on being pitied, either. Not by an adult, even if it was Lafarga.

“Preferably nothing,” Lafarga said after a moment's thought. “I know you're hoping that if you continually leave gifts for Rose, she'll eventually learn to see you, but I'm not sure that'll ever happen. You can't force a human to open their eyes to us, even if they are somewhat resonant.”

“But she has seen us a few times, I know she has!” Dezel shot back, hands clenching into fists at his sides. “Why can't she just...stop being so stubborn about pretending we're not around!”

Expression softening, Lafarga set one hand on Dezel's shoulder. “It's likely something scared her into blocking her resonance. Maybe it was us, maybe it was a hellion she saw on the battlefield before we found her and Brad took her in. Either way, undoing that kind of mental, spiritual block is not easy and it's not really up to us to manage it.”

“But me leaving stuff or her still can't hurt, right? If I leave things she'll like more?”

“Mn, and what did you have in mind, exactly?”

Dezel's mouth quirked in a thoughtful frown as he considered a few possibilities, but he had already blown it a few times, so maybe getting a suggestion or two wouldn't be the worst idea. If Lafarga would provide them, anyway. “I dunno... What kinds of stuff do girls like, anyway?”

“Well, it depends on the girl, just like it would depend on any person or seraph, wouldn't it? Everyone likes different things, no matter what they are.”

Dezel's frown deepened. He could sense that Lafarga was trying to turn this into a teaching opportunity, but right then he just wanted a clear answer. “Okay, so what kinda gift do you think _Rose_ would like?” 

“Hmm, well...” Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Lafarga cast a glance out past the wagon to where Rose was following Brad to the main campfire where a prickleboar haunch was being roasted. “Something small she can hang onto easily, perhaps, but not something easily crushed or frayed. And definitely not something living. A particularly smooth and shiny stone from a creek or stream might work.”

_Oh._ Why he hadn't thought of something so simple, yet so brilliant before, Dezel wasn't sure. The thought must have translated to a look of dawning realization on his face because Lafarga was chuckling quietly a moment later.

“Just be careful where you leave them and don't get your hopes up, kiddo. Some things in this world simply are the way that they are and there's nothing we can do to change them. Fixating on those things too much can–“

“Lead to malevolence,” Dezel finished with a huff. “Yeah, I know.”

Lafarga nodded in approval. “Fix what you can, accept what you cannot. And don't be away from camp long past sunset if you go looking for any gifts for Rose.”

He briefly set one hand on Dezel's head, offering him an affectionate hair ruffle before walking past to head for the main campfire, himself. Though only Brad could see the two patron seraphim of the guild, Lafarga often liked to sit just outside the main gathering so he could listen in on the conversations being held. Dezel often liked to do the same, especially if someone was telling a good story, but tonight he had other plans.

* * *

The sun had just finished setting when Dezel hurried back to the Windrider camp, having run down to a nearby stream to hunt around for stones. He hadn't had long to search and nearly lost track of time, only managing to find a few nice looking gift candidates before he had to head back the way he'd come. Hurrying to one of the wagons that marked the perimeter of the campsite, he clambered up inside of it and sat down to empty his pockets.

Six rocks clattered onto the rough floorboards, the largest nearly the size of Dezel's palm while the smallest was only a bit larger than one of his thumbnails. They were a mix of granite, basalt, and quartz, along with a small shard of agate that he had been very lucky to find. The latter was the prettiest of the lot, Dezel decided, since it had an interesting mix of colors that layered on top of each other. The quartz, though rough and unpolished, had a nice translucent sort of quality to it. He had two of those and they would probably make the best gifts, along with the agate. The others were interesting looking in shape and speckling but were not quite as eye-catching.

Of course, now came the question of when and how to offer up these gifts. Obviously leaving them in Rose's boots was right out; she might think someone had pranked her. Perhaps leaving them in one of her jacket pockets might work? It would be safer than leaving them on the head of her bedroll, since in a case like that, Brad might find them first and remove them. So, yes. The jacket pocket idea was probably the best one.

Though that did mean that if Dezel was going to pull that off, it would have to be at a time when Rose wasn't wearing her jacket. And given the weather was currently cooler and it was a favorite item of clothing, that meant he would have to make the drop when she was sleeping. It was one of the only times these days she didn't have it on. That Dezel was a seraph would certainly make the task easier than if he was human, but still, messing about with objects he couldn't conceal meant that they would appear to move on their own. He'd have to be cautious, especially since Rose usually kept her jacket close by when she slept. If he could pull this off, however, it might make up for those instances when he left her bugs as gifts.

So, he thought with a frown, maybe these stones were less of a please-see-me gift and more of a sorry-I-accidentally-scared-you-with-awesome-insects gift.

This was also the point that, as Dezel sat turning the agate shard over in his fingers, he realized that maybe his intent might not be completely immediate if all he did was slip the three stones into one of Rose's jacket pockets. She might even think that maybe she picked them up at some point and forgot about them, or that maybe they'd somehow fallen in there during a clothes washing session at a stream or creek. That really wouldn't do at all. But how to keep that from happening...?

A ledger sitting on one of the wooden boxes in the back of the wagon seized Dezel's attention as he glanced around for ideas as though hoping one might spring up out of nowhere. Likely it had been left there when someone had been called to dinner mid-check on supply inventory. Sitting up on his knees, Dezel picked up the ledger on a whim and glanced over it, noting the neat handwriting and the way the numbers for various items had been entered into columns. He wasn't too good at reading or writing, yet, but he was learning! Slowly but surely, anyway. Lafarga had at least taught him some basics, like the alphabet and how you were supposed to write out numbers, along with some easy words and Dezel's common name.

Flipping to the back of the ledger, Dezel found that there were a few blank sheets of parchment beneath the used ones, and it was then that the idea of leaving a note with the stones hit him. It didn't even need to be anything fancy, right? Just a brief apology. Even one word would suffice, surely. And if Dezel took a sheet of parchment, likely no one would miss it. That only left the problem of what to write the note with, since he had no ink and quill handy. Then again, given Lafarga hadn't always been able to procure those supplies for his reading and writing lessons, Dezel knew what other means were available to him. A stick with a charred end would be good enough and that just meant staying up late enough to filch one from one of the fires burning around the encampment. Preferably one of those that were allowed to go out once the majority of the Windriders retired for bed, leaving only a few others up on the first watch for the night. That would work out pretty well, Dezel figured, since by then Rose would be in bed and asleep, and he could slip inside the tent she shared with Brad and leave the stones and note in one of her jacket pockets. Easy!

So, after taking one sheet of parchment from the ledger and folding it up to hide in one pocket, Dezel scooped the stones back up and left the wagon. It wasn't quite time for most of the Windriders to call it a night and there was still some food sitting out, so Dezel could discreetly help himself to some roast prickleboar before putting his plan into action.

And it was a pretty darn good plan, he figured. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

The moon was high overhead and the remaining fires in camp burning low when Dezel approached the tent shared by Brad and Rose. The campsite was quiet, the only discernible sounds outside the calls of night insects was that of a low conversation between two Windriders on watch by the main campfire. Slowly, quietly, Dezel slipped toward the tent flap. He glanced back once at the two guards, making sure they weren't looking his way before he eased the flap aside and slid past it into the tent.

Inside, he found himself faced with two occupied bedrolls, Brad and Rose's personal packs placed between them for a little bit of division between their two sides of the tent. On the right was the leader of the Windriders, on his side and facing the tent wall, his breathing slow, deep, and even as he slept. On the left was Rose, the girl laying on her back with most of her limbs sprawled out. Her jacket lay folded up beside her bedroll, near her head.

Well, alright. This wasn't going to be easy, but Dezel wasn't about to back out on his plan. 

Creeping up alongside Rose's bedroll, he knelt by her jacket and tried to use what wind reading skills he possessed to determine where one of the side pockets was located. After poking and prodding about a bit with both his fingers and the air currents, he managed to find one and carefully pulled the two quartz stones and the bit of agate from one of his own pockets. He deposited all three inside the jacket pocket, then drew out the folded bit of parchment he'd scrawled his apology on earlier. It was a very brief message, but he figured it would do. The only thing he wasn't sure of was the spelling of “sorry.” But as he tucked the folded message in alongside the stones, he knew it was too late to fret about a possible misspelling now.

Suddenly, Brad snorted in his sleep. Dezel froze where he knelt alongside Rose, accidentally letting the jacket slip from his fingers where he held part of it up off the ground. The motion was enough to disturb Rose's slumber and she stirred as well, forcing Dezel to make his way out of the tent in a bit more of a hurry than intended. It was highly unlikely Rose would see him if she woke up, but Brad was another story altogether; he was the only truly resonant human out of all the Windriders, serving as a vessel for both Lafarga and Dezel. It was a lot for one human to bear and Dezel would need to find another vessel as he grew older and stronger, but in the meantime, it meant that if Brad woke up, he would definitely see what the young seraph was up to and that would be inconvenient for certain.

Dezel was in such a rush to make it to the nearest wagon that he didn't bother to check behind him to be sure he hadn't been seen or followed, however. Thus, after he climbed up inside the covered wagon and ducked down inside it, he was horrified to hear someone else approaching the wagon a moment later. His heart felt like it was trying to pound its way from his chest up into his throat as the footfalls stopped just shy of the back of the wagon. Was it Brad? Had he chased Dezel out here to scold him for waking him up?

There was a long pause after the footsteps stopped. A crinkling of parchment. Another few seconds of silence. Then someone was climbing up into the back of the wagon, small hands gripping the back panel tightly as equally small feet sought purchase against the wood. Dezel peered out cautiously from behind a barrel, mouth going dry when he realized who had followed him.

“Hello?” The word was whispered softly as Rose peered into the back of the wagon, blue eyes uncertain. “Are you in here? I saw you inside the tent!”

Dezel ducked back behind the barrel, stomach churning. She'd seen him! Granted, that was what he wanted but...now that she had caught a glimpse of him, what if that was all she could manage and he was now invisible to her as before? It wouldn't be the first time, after all. Then again, what if that somehow wasn't the case? What was he supposed to do? Somehow, he'd never really thought about that. How he would greet her and introduce himself? How he would _explain_ everything, especially without Lafarga present?

“I know you're in here!” Her voice was a little louder that time, but with a definite tremor to it. “S-So you should stop hiding! Unless...unless you're a ghost and then maybe keep hiding because I don't think I wanna meet a ghost...”

If this went on any longer, someone else was bound to hear and notice. Dezel fidgeted with the bottom edge of his shirt, debating his options. Or as well as a kid his age could when under so much pressure to make a snap decision. Not doing anything at all would surely result in the night watch guards noticing that Rose was awake and outside her tent. But if she could still see and hear him, maybe he could at least get her to quiet down and keep them both from getting into trouble.

Peering back around the side of the barrel, Dezel made an attempt to shush her. “Hey, quiet! The night watch is gonna hear you!”

Rose's eyes widened, her gaze set directly on him. “Wait, I know you! You're that weird boy with the green hair that I see around sometimes!” She then ducked a little lower behind the back panel of the wagon, a quaver in her voice when she spoke again. “You...you're not a ghost boy, are you...?”

“Didn't I just say to keep your voice down?” Dezel shot back irritably. “And no, I'm not.”

Face scrunching up in an indignant pout, Rose climbed up over the back panel and into the wagon. “I'm not being _that_ loud, so you don't have to be so mean about it. I just wanted to know why you left me that note.”

Still half-hiding behind the barrel, Dezel felt his chest tighten in embarrassment. “What note? What makes you think I wrote you one?”

“Because everyone else here who knows how to write has much neater handwriting,” Rose said matter-of-factly. Reaching into one jacket pocket, the one that contained the stones, she pulled out the bit of parchment. “Besides, most grown-ups who can write know how to spell 'sorry' right. And I saw you leaving the tent, so it _must_ have been you who left it!”

“Well, I haven't been learning how to write and spell that long, okay!?” Dezel spat back, realizing only after he'd finished that being so defensive, he'd also fully incriminated himself. Cheeks taking on a pink tint, he glowered at the younger girl. “And maybe I don't think you deserve an apology, now, anyway!”

He didn't mean that, obviously, but Rose had struck a nerve with him. Every day, Dezel worried some little foul up on his part might mark the end of his time with the Windriders, despite the idea being somewhat irrational given how long he'd been allowed to remain, already. Lafarga was, after all, not the first older seraph who had taken him in. There had been others. Several others, in fact. All of whom Dezel had purposely tried to forget so that their memories wouldn't bring him quite as much pain. They had all left him or passed him off to someone else for a reason, surely. Possibly because had Dezel done something to disappoint or upset them. So there was always that constant, underlying, uncontrollable fear that someday, he would do something to cause Lafarga and Brad to get rid of him. Even if it was just not being smart enough to read and write well.

“If you did something wrong, you should always apologize!” Rose shot back, her voice getting louder again. “But if you don't wanna tell me, maybe I don't want your dumb note and your stupid rocks!”

Reaching into her pocket, Rose took the three stones out and tossed them on the floor of the wagon in front of Dezel. The clattering sound was loud, too loud, but it wasn't the noise that rattled the young seraph's insides. Rather, it was the sudden, jarring, agonizing feeling of rejection that struck him like a punch to the gut. This was the exact opposite of what he wanted. And now that his gifts had been thrown back at him, unwanted, it was likely that once Rose walked away from him, she would lose the ability to see him again and forget he ever existed. Or worse, her memory of him would be utterly sour, perhaps combined with the notion that he had been a ghost all along, one she should be afraid of.

“They're not stupid!” Throat far too tight for his liking, Dezel came out from behind the barrel and knelt down to pick up the rocks. Much to his dismay, his favorite of the three, the shard of agate, had gotten chipped when it struck the floorboards. Cheeks hot and eyes threatening to brim with tears, he tried to scowl up at Rose, but his lower lip was quivering too much to hold his expression steady. “I was lucky to find these and you... You don't appreciate anything  
I leave for you!”

At that, Rose's eyebrows arched toward her bangs, her eyes widening. “Wait, are you the one who's been putting those icky bugs on my bedroll? Why did you do that?!”

“They're not icky! They're just insects and I thought they were amazing and I wanted you to see them too!” Despite his best efforts, tears were starting to roll down Dezel's cheeks as he clutched the handful of stones to his chest. “I didn't know they'd scare you so much! I just wanted to show you...and I just wanted you to see me...”

“To...see you? What do you mean...? I thought you said you weren't a ghost!”

“I'm not! I'm a seraph. Humans can't usually see seraphim, but I knew you'd seen me a few times. It just...didn't stick.” Blurry gaze lowering to the floorboards as he sank back on his knees, Dezel swallowed hard, embarrassed and hurt. “I thought if I left you things, you'd see me more. But I screwed up and left you stuff you didn't like, so I tried to leave you something else to apologize. You're the only other one here close to my age and I...”

He couldn't finish, trailing off as his voice cracked. For once, he wished he'd stayed invisible to Rose if just so he could slink off somewhere to hide without her knowing where he'd gone. But no, naturally the day he finally became fully visible to her would be one that ended like this, with humiliation and rejection.

Just as with so many others. He would always be that troublesome seraph that eventually no one wanted around.

Nearby, Rose shuffled uncomfortably, picking at the sleeve of her jacket before she finally stepped toward Dezel where he knelt. Though he heard her approaching, he did nothing to avoid her, sitting on his knees with his shoulders slumped, cheeks wet with tears. He half expected her to push him. Or crumple up his apology note and drop it on his head.

But then she was kneeling in front of him, taking a little handkerchief from her other coat pocket and pressing it to the side of his face. Something she must have learned to do after all those instances when Brad had dried her tears in times past since she was quite the crybaby early on.

Dezel's first impulse was to pull back and push her hand away, not about to face the indignity of letting her help him after their argument. Yet, her touch was so...nice. So careful. And when he forced himself to meet her gaze, he found he couldn't stop looking into those big blue eyes of hers, even for how little light there was inside the wagon.

“Sorry...” Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper. “I didn't know... I thought someone was just trying to be mean. But you're not mean, are you? You're just...lonely.”

His throat and chest were too tight to speak. He couldn't even manage a nod of acknowledgment; it pained him too much to admit that she was right. Instead, Dezel dropped his gaze and rested his forehead against her shoulder with a shuddering sigh. He was crying again and he couldn't stand to let her see, even if it was all too obvious by the way he was breathing.

But then her arms were around him, holding him close in a warm if somewhat awkward hug, a better gesture of acceptance and apology than any words could manage. Drawing in a shaky breath, Dezel wrapped an arm around her in return, one hand still clutching the stones between them.

“I'm not gonna let you disappear again, okay? I promise so you won't have to be lonely anymore.”

“O...okay...”

When Rose finally leaned back a bit, releasing him from their embrace, Dezel found himself startled as she kissed his forehead. It was such a small thing, something else she probably learned from Brad in how he comforted her, but it meant so much. Maybe even more than the promise that she wouldn't let him disappear from view again. 

“So what's your name, anyway?” Rose asked as she sank back into a sitting position on her knees in front of him. “Are you the only seraph here?”

“It's Dezel. And no, I'm not. There's another, much older than me. His name's Lafarga and he's kinda the same for me like Brad is for you.” His gaze then dropped to the stones in his hand. He held them out to Rose. “Do...you want these back?”

“Yeah. I'll put them back in my pocket so I don't lose them.” 

Her smile left him feeling warm from the inside out as he deposited the three stones into her open, cupped hands. Taking the note out again, Rose then wrapped the stones in the parchment and then slipped the little paper package back into her pocket.

At that point, however, Dezel found he wasn't sure what to say. When he'd first had the idea that he and Rose could be friends, he always thought that everything they did would involve exploring and training together. His imagination had let him conjure up ideas for bug hunts and rock scavenging and climbing trees, but it had never let him consider how exactly he would carry a conversation with her. Possibly because talking wasn't something he'd ever been particularly good at, not even with Lafarga.

Fortunately for him, Rose talked enough for them both.

“If you want, we can go looking for more rocks tomorrow after breakfast,” she suggested brightly. “Or after chores, anyway. Do you have to do chores, too? I bet you do since you have to learn how to read and write just like I do!”

“Yeah. Lafarga always takes me to patrol the perimeter around the campsite. Make sure nothing dangerous is nearby.”

“Oh, yeah! Because you guys are supposed to be our protectors! Brad says that's why we leave offerings so that you're strong enough to help us out. Do you like what we leave for you? The sweetbread we left last time was my idea!”

“Uh, yeah. It was really good.” Dezel's hands found their way to the edge of his shirt again, his fingers twisting the fabric between them. Should he thank her for the offering? He wasn't sure, but after a moment, he realized it felt wrong not to say _something_ more. “Thanks.”

“Do seraphim need to eat like people do? If you do, you should have breakfast with me in the morning!”

“We don't, but...we like to eat. If the food's good, I mean.”

“I think it's Eguille's turn to make breakfast and he always makes the best omelets, so you should definitely like that!”

“Is that...is it okay, though? I can't eat by the fire because the other Windriders can't see me. Brad's the only other one who can, so...” Dezel trailed off there, wanting to indulge in a good, hot breakfast alongside Rose, but afraid it would somehow be denied.

“So Brad can see you guys, huh? Guess that's how he knows to leave stuff out!” Rose then folded her arms across her chest a moment, her expression thoughtful as she mirrored the look her foster father often got when he was considering something carefully. “Wait, I know! We can just have breakfast inside the tent. I bet that would be okay!”

“It might be, maybe...”

“Come on, though! We gotta go back to bed or we'll get in trouble for being out of the tent so late,” Rose said as she stood up suddenly and seized one of Dezel's hands, wanting to tug him along after her. 

Jolted to his feet, Dezel half stumbled after Rose. “W-Wait! I don't really need to sleep much and usually I just hide in my vessel when I do!”

“Well, I don't know what a vessel is, but I bet it's not as comfy as a warm bedroll!”

“I'm not sure if it is, but–“

“But you're my protector and my friend, right? We can share my bedroll like it's a sleepover and then both of us will be nice and warm!”

Dezel's face felt far too hot, but he nodded nonetheless and followed Rose as she climbed down out of the wagon. Together, they stole back across the way to Brad's tent, where Dezel carefully lifted the flap to allow Rose inside, first. How they had managed to avoid being noticed by the night watch guards so far was a mystery to the young seraph, but he sure wasn't going to question it at that point.

When he joined Rose inside the tent, he found her already shedding her jacket and removing her boots. Following her lead, Dezel did the same, pulling his boots off and setting them beside hers on the ground near the bedroll. Nearby, Brad still lay asleep on his side, facing the slanted wall of the tent. Dezel watched him with nervous, wary eyes, but he didn't have long to consider any repercussions of sleeping alongside Rose, not when she was already lifting the blanket and pointing for him to get under it ahead of her.

Slowly, carefully, Dezel crawled onto the bedroll and got beneath the heavy blanket, laying his head on the pillow part of the roll while he tried to ignore the butterflies flitting about in his middle. Then Rose was crawling in beside him, tugging the blanket over herself and snuggling up against Dezel like a puppy looking for a warm body to get up alongside. It was with some hesitation that Dezel put an arm around her, uncertain whether that would be acceptable, but Rose only cuddled even closer, her head tucked up under his chin.

As the space beneath the blanket warmed by way of their shared body heat and as Rose's breathing deepened into relaxed slumber, Dezel found himself unable to drop off quite so easily. The implications of what he had managed to do were finally sinking in; the world had somehow opened up to both him and Rose just a little more. In the morning, they would have breakfast together, then do their chores before hopefully being allowed to spend some time running about together while the camp was broken down for another day of travel. Maybe they could ride in the same wagon together. Perhaps in the evening, they could practice reading and writing together, too.

There was, of course, that terrible thought that maybe all this would end in tears. Perhaps Rose would grow tired of him in the long run and want him to go away, just as so many others had before her. But Dezel desperately hoped that wouldn't be the case; he was already growing so attached to the girl beside him, even as she clung to him in her sleep like a teddy bear she wanted for a little extra security. It made him consider how it seemed like Brad was Lafarga's person, so to speak. And his vessel. That there was a bond there between them as friends that Dezel himself didn't entirely feel with Brad. Certainly, he liked the man. He was an upstanding fellow in Dezel's eyes, as he took good care of the people he considered family. But he was Lafarga's person.

Maybe, just maybe, Rose could be Dezel's person. He was afraid to hope but he liked the idea so much he couldn't help but hug Rose a little tighter, his fingers curling into the fabric of her tunic. 

And it was with that comforting thought that Dezel finally drifted off to sleep, warm and comfortable and more at ease than he had been in a while.

* * *

“Lafarga, I think you should see this.”

“Huh... Would you look at that? Like two pups curled up in a blanket together.”

“And here I thought she wouldn't ever learn to see the two of you. Figured her brush with hellions on that battlefield where we found her scared her too bad.”

“Stranger things certainly have happened, and I suspect Dezel's tenacity may have had something to do with it.”

“He is the stubborn sort, true.”

The two soft voices ebbed through the quiet darkness of sleep, bringing Dezel back up toward consciousness in a groggy haze. Still laying on his side, Rose pressed up against him, he turned his head a little with one eye cracked open enough to see Brad and Lafarga gazing down at them in what appeared to be mild amusement.

“Good morning, kiddo,” Lafarga greeted before reaching out to give Dezel's hair a gentle, but affectionate ruffling. “Looks like you finally got your wish.”

Glancing between the two adults, Dezel could feel his heart starting to beat a little quicker. Was he in trouble? “Y-yeah. Is that... Is this okay?”

“It's fine, lad,” Brad replied with a fond smile. “I think Rose could've done with a friend her age. Just promise me you'll keep her out of trouble, hm?”

Dezel nodded once. “Yeah, sure! I'll watch her. Of course I will.”

By that point, Rose was starting to wake up as well, pulling back from Dezel just enough to rub at her eyes with one hand. When she noticed Brad and Lafarga sitting alongside them, she took a moment to stare at the latter with wide eyes before speaking up.

“Hey, you're a seraph too, right?”

Lafarga smiled and nodded. “Yes, that's right. My name's Lafarga.”

“He's a good friend of mine,” Brad added as he reached over to set a hand on the elder seraph's shoulder. “Sorry I didn't tell you about him or Dezel sooner, Rose, but I was worried you'd get scared.”

“Well, neither of them are scary now that I can see them!” Rose said confidently as she sat up. “They look a lot like we do. Well, 'cept for the green in their hair and Dezel's weird teeth!”

“Hey, my teeth aren't weird!” Sitting up as well, Dezel scowled a little. “That's just how they are!”

Much to the young seraph's chagrin, both adults had a bit of a laugh at that, but any sour feelings on Dezel's part were short-lived as Brad patted him on the shoulder and they got up to exit the tent. The smell of eggs cooking was wafting in from outside and even though he didn't experience hunger quite like a human, the want to eat quickly washed away any embarrassment on Dezel's part.

“Smells like Eguille's already got breakfast started,” Brad said with a glance back in Rose's direction. “C'mon, missy. Let's get on up and get some grub!”

“Wait, I wanna have breakfast here in the tent, so Dezel can eat breakfast with me!” Seizing one of Dezel's hands, Rose held it tightly in hers. “Can I? And can Lafarga stay too? I wanna have breakfast with the seraphim!”

Brad exchanged glances with Lafarga, who smirked and shrugged.

“Your call, Brad. She's your daughter, after all. I certainly wouldn't turn down the opportunity for a hot meal alongside the kids.”

“Heh, almost feel like you lot are ganging up on me with this, since how can I say no to that face–“ Brad nodded toward Rose, “–and our two patron seraphim? But alright, alright. I'll go out and rustle up some food to bring back here in a bit. “

“And I'll go out to have a quick look around to be sure everything around camp is as it should be,” Lafarga added. “So you two just stay in here and we'll both be back, shortly.”

Once both adults had exited the tent, the flap falling back into place in their wake, Dezel breathed out a sigh of relief. It was then that he noticed that Rose still had his hand in hers, her grip insistently firm, as though she was afraid that if she let go, he might slip away and out of sight again.

“Hey, Rose...”

“Yeah?” She glanced up at him, blue eyes inquisitive. 

“Is this...” He trailed off, the words catching in his throat. Swallowing, he tried again. “This is all really okay, right?”

“Sure, why would it not be okay?”

“I don't know.” He dropped his gaze down to where she still held his hand. “This seems good. And good things don't last. Not for me.”

She blinked, concern suddenly clear in her expression. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean...” Again, Dezel trailed off. His chest was starting to feel tight, as it had the night before. There were too many thoughts, too many bad memories trying to resurface. Then, suddenly, the words were tumbling out of him. “I just–! I want to stay here and for Lafarga to keep teaching me and for Brad to like me and for you to be my person like Brad is Lafarga's person!”

Rose stared at him in mild confusion and Dezel felt his cheeks flushing, his whole face too warm. He glanced away from her, but before he could pull his hand free out of embarrassment, Rose had tightened her grip and leaned up against him.

“You're so silly,” she said with a small laugh. “No one's gonna make you leave. You're part of the Windriders and the Windriders are family, that's what Brad always says.”

“I've had to leave before. With other seraphim who I thought were supposed to be my family.” His voice was quiet and small. Too small. He lowered his head so that his shaggy bangs would better hide his eyes.

“They weren't very good family, then.” Rose placed her other hand over his. “But you're my family now and I'll be your person if you want.”

“Really...?”

“Yeah, we can even pinky swear on it, too.” Holding his hand so that his fingers were free, Rose hooked one of her pinky fingers in his. “Here... I solemnly swear that you'll always be part of my family and that I'll be your special person like Brad is for Lafarga.”

Though he could feel his eyes trying to brim with tears again, Dezel nodded as he gazed down at their joined hands. “And I swear that I'll protect you and be your seraph like you're my person.”

Laughing a little, Rose got up on her knees to hug him around the neck, one of her cheeks pressed to his. “There! See, everything's gonna be okay!”

Despite all his insecurities and doubts, Dezel couldn't help but smile faintly and hug her back. She was so warm, so open, so affectionate, it made it difficult for him to remain upset for long. Maybe something as silly as a pinky promise was worth believing in. Or maybe it was that Rose herself was worth his trust and his faith. Whichever it was, Dezel was finally starting to feel like that last bit of emptiness he harbored even after meeting Lafarga and Brad was finally fading away.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Maybe it will be. Thanks, Rose.”


End file.
